Venezuela's often controversial and opinionated President Hugo Chavez was expected in Syria on Wednesday for a two- day visit as part of a continued effort to align his nation in strategic partnerships, dpa reported.
Coinciding with his expected arrival to Damascus, nearly 40 tons of Syrian olive oil were en route to Venezuela, highlighting the Venezelen leader's stated efforts to promote the Syrian product and to improve ties.
Chavez was scheduled to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad upon his arrival later Wednesday evening. Chavez is also scheduled to hold a press conference in Syria on Thursday, before traveling on to Libya.
His visit to Syria follows a trip to Iran earlier this week, in which he met vocal US critic, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad. During his trip, which was his ninth in recent years, Chavez said cooperation with Iran was a "holy task" for Venezuela, according to Iran's state news agency.
The two nations have signed 186 agreements in the last five years and Chavez has described Iran as his "second home."
His trip to Damascus, meanwhile, marks his third official state visit to Syria since 2006. In his two prior visits, Chavez signed a number of agreements with Damascus to improve trade and investment.
During his last trip to Damascus, Chavez openly criticised Syria's regional rival Israel, calling it "genocidal."
Syria does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, while Venezuela broke ties with Israel in 2009 following its attack on the Gaza Strip.
Both Syria and Venezuela also share a tense relationship with the United States.
But Chavez is more vocal in his criticism of the West than his Syrian counterpart. Chavez has been quoted on several occasions calling the United States an "imperialist" nation.
Venezuela is looking to Russia to improve its position in the Americas. Before arriving in the Middle East, Chavez had visited Moscow during which an agreement was signed between the two countries for the construction of a Russian nuclear power plant in Venezuela.